How High's the Water, Mamma?
The Pacific Northwest of the United States is being hit with an atmospheric river resulting in large sections of Western Washington and Oregon under evacuation orders. In Skagit county alone 75,000 people are affected. Three of my kids and their families live in that area. Two of them are on high ground, one lives just to the north of the flood zone. Our fourth kid lives in Portland, and while there is some flash flooding in parts of the city, his family is safe and sound, but he is very busy right now since his department handles the city transportation system.
Since we have a few shipmates in the area, I am wondering how they are doing.
The atmospheric river is expected to last into next week.
What makes this Purgatory material is how President Trump will handle the disaster. In the past he has ignored requests from Democratic controlled states. In the past, other presidents would sign orders allowing for federal aid and other assistance regardless of political leanings of the state officials. Not DJT.
Since we have a few shipmates in the area, I am wondering how they are doing.
The atmospheric river is expected to last into next week.
What makes this Purgatory material is how President Trump will handle the disaster. In the past he has ignored requests from Democratic controlled states. In the past, other presidents would sign orders allowing for federal aid and other assistance regardless of political leanings of the state officials. Not DJT.
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Climate deniers are pointing to the record colds in the Central and Eastern states. What they ignore is the bitter cold which is usually limited to the up northern latitudes by a strong jet stream does not have that limitation this year. Why? Hate to say it, but...
Here in Spain we have the DANA. DANA is a Spanish acronym for Depresion Aislada en Niveles Altos. It translates to"Isolated Depression at High Altitudes". It happens every year in fall and winter months to one degree of severity or another. Last year it overwhelmed Valencia and killed 200 people most of whom had been allowed by poor municipal planning to build or live on a flood plain.
In our area it had the beneficial effect of replenishing depleted freshwater reservoirs that were down to 5% capacity on account of drought to over 50% capacity in two days.
Whatever it is or is called I hope everyone is safely stowed at high ground.
AFF
Have long known about them even before they were officially named. I remember one winter in Southern Idaho, we had three feet on the ground, much more than that in the mountains when all of the sudden it warmed up and started raining. Rained for a whole week. Washed out a number of major roads. I think I was ten at the time.
Anytime one sees satellite images of a band of rain extending from beyond Hawaii into the Pacific Northwest, one knows we are going to get wet. Sometimes called the Pineapple Express, otherwise known as a Chinook weather pattern.
Just heard that Skagit County Engineers were going to break the levee or dike a few blocks from where my son lives. He is on high ground, but it will interfere with his commute to work at Lutherwood. He is the manager there. So far Lutherwood is sheltering three families that have been evacuated. He is sheltering one family at his house. 75,000 people have been ordered to go now, seek higher ground.
They had been planning to come over for the week. Not going to happen now with mud slides on I 90 and other mountain passes closed due to flooding or worse.
Last night, the weather forecaster at the local station was sounding very depressed. His favorite ski area was due to open this weekend with three feet of snow as its base. Now, all that snow is gone.
Skagit valley was settled by the Dutch. It is known for its tulips. Much of the valley is like the Dutch lowlands of Europe.
I keep reading stories like this and thinking "Maybe they'll learn this time," but I know that I cannot afford to be optimistic. I expect these situations will get worse in the future. We've had a lot of waterways that were carefully managed at great expense a couple generations ago, but only within certain parameters, and with climate change pushing those parameters, it's going to get worse.
The area has levees and dikes along the rivers that were designed to handle the 100-year floods. The problem is when the waters exceed the 100 year expectation. The levees are all earthen, so when they get too wet, they weaken. Yes, there will have to be major upgrades. That will take federal funds. As I said up thread, though, Trump is not too interested in spending money in Democratic states, even though this particular area is a well known Trump corner of the state.
Gone are the frosts, fogs, and snows of what used to be the normal winters...
Oh, I thought you were in Seattle.
While I have been going on about what is happening in the Pacific Northwest, I totally overlooked the storm that hit Gaza this past week. Over 1 million people were flooded out. The UN is saying 300,000 tents are needed. https://www.nbcnews.com/world/gaza/storm-byron-gaza-tents-aid-shortages-ceasefire-israel-hamas-rcna248594
But that combination of warm rain on the snow pack has been responsible for very severe flooding in western Oregon in prior years. I remember seeing sheets of plywood attached to the railing along the waterfront in Portland one year, with the Willamette River nearly to the top, at least a metre above ground level of the downtown.
It also then depletes the snow pack that provides water during the summer, especially in those areas already suffering from droughts.
Pullman has similar barriers available in case the stream flooded. Also Mt Vernon in Skagit County has barriers three feet higher than the dike that they can put in place. They were installed in 2013 and first used in 2021.
The deal with Holden Village is that our interim pastor recently spent two years in residence there. He had just encouraged a friend from Indiana to apply for a cook's position there. The friend was accepted for the position but just arrived only to find out the Village is closed and is not likely to reopen until end of May. The friend is now staying at our interim pastor's apartment trying to figure out what to do now.
One of the main routes over the Cascades other than I90 is US2 which goes through Leavenworth WA. It will also be closed until May.
And a levee in Tukwila WA, in Southern King County, where Seattle is, has given way inundating parts of South Seattle.
Western Washington is expecting 10 inches of water by end of tonight. We might get around five in Eastern Washington.